How to Screenshot on Chromebook

To take screenshot on Chromebook, there is no “Print Screen” key available. All we have a minimal keyboard which comes handy with the Chrome OS device. Then how is it possible to capture Chrome screen? Especially, if you are a user of Windows or Mac operating systems which comes with a “PrtScn” key, you might have this doubt in your mind. But, it I extremely easy to print screen of the Chromebook as well. Before we continuing, have a look at our previous screenshot articles such as grabbing a screenshot on Windows and capturing screen on Mac. It will help you to get a basic idea about the steps.

You might have many questions like how to take a screenshot on a Chromebook Acer or other brands. Telling the truth, there is no much difference based on the brands. It is all about the OS which is running inside the machine. Like many other operating systems, the Chrome OS also comes with a built-in screenshot tool right in the OS itself. There are no extra applications needed for taking the picture of a full-screen or a region at any point of the operating system. In this article, we are going to explore the methods to print screenshot on Chromebook. Have a look.

How to capture screenshot on Chromebook

Follow the given methods based on your requirements. We will be listing the official methods which are recommended by Google as well as some extra tricks for having the screenshots in Chrome OS. Let’s explore more.

Take a full screenshot of the Chromebook

Setup the screen as you want it in your screenshot.

Press Ctrl+Switch Screen Button.

You will get a notification saying your screenshot has been successfully saved.

To print a region of the screen on Chrome OS

Setup the screen.

Press Ctrl+Shift+Switch Screen Button.

Click and drag your cursor to select the portion to capture.

That’s it.

How to copy Chromebook screenshot to the Clipboard

If you want to save the taken screenshot to the clipboard for further pasting in some image editors, you have to take a normal screenshot first. Keep an eye on the notification that appears after taking the screenshot. You will see a link saying “Copy to Clipboard” under the notification. Just click on it and the screenshot will be copied to the Chrome OS clipboard.

Note: Be sure to be quick on the process and remember, you got just around 3 seconds before the notification fades away.

Using external keyboards for printing screen on Chromebook

There may be situations where you are using an external standard keyboard instead of the default Chromebook keys. In such situations, there will be no Switch window key or others available on the keyboard. But nothing to worry about it, Google has implemented an alternative way to solve this issue. Simply follow the steps given below for taking screenshots in case you are operating the OS with an external keyboard.

To take full-screen screenshot in Chrome OS using external keyboard

Setup the screen that you wanted to take the screenshot of.

Press Ctrl + F5.

And that’s it.

To capture a region in Chromebook using external keyboard

Setup the monitor for capturing.

Press Ctrl+Shift+F5.

Now, select the region that you wanted to capture.

External applications you can use

In addition to the default Chrome screenshot tool, there are plenty of third-party apps and extensions available for the purpose. We listed few of them below.

Pixlr: One of the most popular tools on the internet for taking and editing screens.

Frequently asked Questions on taking screenshot on Chromebook

Here are some of the most asked and searched queries on printing screen on Chromebook. Checking it out may help you to solve your own doubts regarding the same.

Switch window button Chromebook

We’ve mentioned the “Switch Window button” or the “Window switcher key” on the Chromebook keyboard in many steps. If you don’t know which button it refers to, here is an image of it.The placing the button may or may not vary according to the keyboard manufacturer, but the symbol will be identical in all of them.

How to paste screenshot on Chromebook

Pasting screenshot on Chromebook is nothing different from other OS. You could use the same Ctrl+V buttons for pasting the screenshot on the clipboard on any text or image editors. To completely understand this, you should have a look at the above section where we described on capturing the screenshot to the clipboard for further actions using it.

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How to take a screenshot on a dell Chromebook

As already mentioned, there will be no much difference in the process on different manufacturers. All the Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, Toshiba, brands has the same process. It is completely based on the OS version that you are running on the Chromebook.

Chromebook keyboard layout

If you don’t know the most used keyboard layout of a good Chromebook system, here is an image for you.

As you can see it is very simple and elegant.

Chromebook search key

The search button on the Chromebook may be confusing to the newbies using the Chromebooks. As you can see in the above image, it is located at the same place of the caps lock button in normal keyboards.

Chromebook keyboard not working for the screenshots

If the keyboard shortcuts are not working for taking screenshots on the Chromebooks, you might have to double check the functionality of your keyboard and buttons. Make sure that the buttons are not jammed and are working perfectly. next, try restarting your device to clear any temporary problems with the OS. If anything doesn’t seem to be working, you should better consult a Chromebook technician to help you.

Where are my screenshots saved in Chrome OS

Your screenshots will be saved to the Downloads folder as high-quality .png files. You could easily retrieve it from there for further editing and exporting purpose.

Now, that’s the answer to your question, “how to screenshot on Chromebook.” If you have any more questions or doubts regarding the process, feel free to leave a message to us from the contact form.